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The New Faith
Religion has always played a role among the peoples of the Coalition, since the early days of High Chronicler Atheran, the Zaian who ran the Archive of Tarsis. It was he who introduced the heavenly path to the Tarsins. Beginnings It wasn't until the dark days of the Shadow Emperor that things really took off, however. Âtar made his war on all religions and spiritualities, obsessed with the material, quantifiable, and observable. As the World was taken by the darkness, people began to hold onto anything that gave them a sense of stability. The unshakable convictions of an immortal race, though absent from affairs at this time, was the perfect thing to do it. What had once been a just another teaching now became something very real. This was cemented by Bâlôs the Bold being named the Chosen of Man, to lead the mortal races in holy battle against Âtar and his demonic machines. His successor, Lazakarôs the Grey, named it the one true faith of the Coalition, and used the Archive to propagate it. The Zaian had no qualms with this, as what had been theirs became something known as the New Faith, and they stood at its head as the Messengers of their God. The Archive, long a bastion for those who truly believed, found itself with great power. They spread the teachings far and wide, and a great awakening spread across the (at the time) Five Realms. Some practitioners of the Tarsin old ways remained, as did others who practiced their indigenous religions. They would not have much time left. Emperor Lazakarôs, first and only of his name, had been the closest and most steadfast companion of the late Bâlôs; staying with the throneless, homeless, powerless Emperor even in his darkest hour. Lazakarôs, known as Lazakar before his ascension, was the spiritual core of Bâlôs's quest, and his convictions helped more than once to inspire the Emperor and the Host of Heaven to keep fighting, despite how dark the hour grew, and how desperate their cause became. When Bâlôs gave his life to stop Âtar, Lazakarôs took up his crown. Thus it came to be that the Emperor of Tarsis became God's will for the Tarsin people, a special arrangement with the Zaian, who would back up the Emperor's position should they agree with him taking the throne. Many Emperors of the later troubled days were merely claimants, the Zaian never recognized them as Emperor. Those who follow the New Faith hold the Zaian in reverence and awe, and they are treated with utmost respect and servitude. This intoxicating mix has led Zaian into rash actions before, but these are often stopped by their more thoughtful kin before anything comes of their plans. Today, the New Faith can be found everywhere within the dominions of the former Coalition, and even beyond. It is present in the Earth Alliance, though most of these numbers are from Sôl Tarsins. Earthmen who convert usually find themselves assimilating into Lowlander Tarsin culture as a whole, and eventually, into the gene-pool. It is the enemy's faith to most Earthmen, those who join it become one with the conqueror. Teachings The New Faith has no qualms about using violence as a means to an end. Bloodshed has its place and purpose, and a war in Heaven's name is a valid one. However, it is not for its path of approved actions it became popular. Rather, the New Faith stresses the values that shine brightest when surrounded by the dark: valor, integrity, courage, and duty. For an entity like the Coalition, constantly best by misery, war, strife, and uncertainty, the New Faith offered exactly the opposite: hope, peace, sanctity, and certainty. The notion that there was good in the World worth standing, fighting, and dying for played right into the desperation that had taken hold of people in the time of the Shadow Emperor. Millions upon millions of mortals threw themselves into the mechanical jaws of death, safe in the knowledge that their martyrdom would bring about victory against the powers of evil. When the 500 year conflict finally ended, there were only ashes left. Lazakarôs the Grey used the New Faith's message to inspire the broken peoples of the Coalition and turn their industry to building a better World for their successors. An idea rose from the ruins, among the Tarsin lowlanders in particular, that this new World would be one of divine order. Everything would have a time and a place, under Heaven. Even people. A shoemaker was meant to be a shoemaker, a mechanic was meant to be a mechanic, a farmer was meant to be a farmer; all souls played their part exactly as it was asked of them. Times may be hard, winters may be cold, and evil may strike again and again, but one will always have a valued place in the World, no matter what. It is a message the Zaian spread to all who will listen, and Earthmen called this complacency when they heard it. The New Faith has little to offer to those who already have what they desire, but the promise of a place to belong is an alluring call to the despairing, the bitter, the outcast, and the unwanted. It is not surprising that the strongest bastions of this religion are among the lowest strata of the Tarsin society. Crusades The word "crusade" is something of an invention, as no one alive during the ones on Earth referred to them as such. And certainly, such a word that contains the Latin for "cross" is not applicable to a completely foreign if somewhat similar religion. What Earthmen have come to call a crusade in context of the New Faith is more aptly translated as a "Holy and Just War." However, the term crusade is more evocative of what was actually happening. The Emperor of Tarsis is the one who has the authority to call crusades up against enemies who have shown either disregard or outright persecution against the New Faith. It is considered heretical to use it for secular purposes; thus the War of the Earthmen never took a very religious tone. Crusades called lead to crusade fleets assembling; contingents of the Imperial Navy gathering with all the forces of the lords who answered the call to battle. Sometimes the Emperor himself will lead the crusade, sometimes he will let the crusader fleet choose its own leaders. Regardless, a crusade is a voluntary action on part of the nobility, though it is expected for one to join if it is near one's own territories. They have well-defined goals, and those who are martyred along the way will gain entrance to Heaven immediately, while those who accomplish their vows have achieved repentance for past sins. These similarities to the historical crusades on Earth were what prompted the Earthmen to name them so. It is remarkable that such a similar thing would evolve elsewhere; but the Zaian are experts on the human psyche. Perhaps they know just what strings to pull to get the hearts of men inspired to do great deeds. Heathenry, Heresy, and Apostasy There are three key internal enemies the New Faith identifies and warns the faithful to be wary of. The first is the heathen. All the races of the Coalition had their own indigenous religions when they joined, some as numerous as those that still exist on Earth, others more or less homogenized into a single loose system. It was the work of the Zaian and Archive to bring people away from these indigenous beliefs; slowly replacing them with something acceptable to the Emperors following Lazakarôs the Grey. Some planets would go over to the new ways in a matter of decades, some would take centuries. Some proved more resilient to the soft power prescribed for missionary use. It was Tarsins who embraced the New Faith most zealously, and it would be Tarsins who resisted it the most. Many followers of the old gods fled to the frontiers, where they worshipped their pagan idols in secret, performing strange rituals, sacrifices, and magics. The faithful are warned of these heathens, for they are often servants of darker powers... The second internal enemy is the heretic. The heretic seeks to subvert the Heavenly Path, the foundation of the Coalition's will to fight on against all odds. Only by following the New Faith would one be able to find the strength and courage to keep standing and serve one's race in the greatest way possible. Heresy preaches that the New Faith is wrong in its message; some heretics say that holy war is a false notion, some heretics say that heathens, pagans, and apostates should be tolerated instead of persecuted, some heretics say that "this is all that we are" instead of the ancient creed that "this is not all that we are." Heretics deny these truths, these fundamental sacraments; they seek to undermine and weaken all that is good in the World. And for that, they are enemies of the righteous and are showed no mercy if they refuse to repent their sins. The final, and most dangerous internal enemy is the apostate. The apostate has been enlightened by the New Faith, but then rejects it, condemning himself and those who follow his example. There is no worse crime in the eyes of the Zaian and their faithful flock to know the truth and then deny it. A peasant or townsman who turns apostate may be shunned by the community; a noble who turns apostate may be imprisoned or banished; a king who turns apostate is faced with a crusader fleet for his terrible sin. There have been at least two Coalition-wide crusades to deal with entire realms gone apostate, both led in part by a Zaian in person. Only ruin is brought upon those who commit this vile act. They have betrayed civilization itself, and for that, they suffer the most grievous punishments. To Earthmen and others of the galaxy, these views are unspeakably backwards. In these uncertain days of corruption and decadence in the former Coalition territories, heresy and apostasy run rampant among those who feel abandoned by the New Faith. However, others feel betrayed by the material world, and they give themselves over to a divine zeal of which the likes have not been seen in several ages of Tarsis. Others yet turn to the old gods, finding the idols they once thought false are not so powerless after all, and receive secret whispers in the shadows... The stage is set for a mighty clash.